Modern methodological approaches to the definition of semantic/cognitive wars: analysis of influence tools

Abstract

The article examines the concept of semantic (cognitive) war as a tool of influence in the new geopolitical reality. Scientific approaches to distinguishing the concepts of information and semantic/cognitive wars. And it implements this influence on the public through mass culture, ideology, and religion, increasing the level of attractiveness and aesthetic perception with the help of the entertainment industry. It is worth noting that propaganda is used in all wars, but cognitive war differs from the latter in that the mass audience is imperceptibly involved in this influence, as a result, people begin to actively perceive imposed informational content. To some extent, this is a certain revolution, because it combines the use of mental prejudices, reflexive thinking, influence on decision-making through the obstruction of actions at the individual and collective levels, and most importantly the use of neuroscience as a weapon in the system of geopolitical transformations. The methods and technologies of the semantic/cognitive war regarding the change of the value system of social groups and their mass consciousness are revealed. In today's conditions, there are a large number of methods of semantic/cognitive warfare, which are based precisely on cognitive prejudices: mythologizing and ideologizing consciousness, demonizing Ukraine by Russian propaganda through labeling, inciting informational noise, actively conducting information policy among the population, military personnel, and the international community, etc. The Russian propaganda machine routinely uses cognitive biases to advance its narratives. Also today, the United States of America, China and the Russian Federation are key participants in the global confrontation, in which different worldviews, values and political concepts collide. The contrasting approaches of the US and the Russian Federation to the use of cognitive warfare tactics demonstrate the variety of strategies that countries can use to influence geopolitical dynamics and public opinion. Applying different approaches to the cognitive sphere, the US focuses on “soft power” to influence the international community, while the Russian Federation uses more destructive strategies aimed at destabilization. In addition, attention is focused on the fact that the world community should focus on the development of international governance structures to control the destabilizing effects of cognitive warfare and adapt the national security system to the challenges of the era of cognitive confrontation.